{"id":660802,"date":"2026-09-12T12:57:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T12:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/660802\/"},"modified":"2026-09-12T12:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T12:57:13","slug":"which-prospect-makes-the-utah-mammoth-roster-this-year-the-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/660802\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Prospect Makes the Utah Mammoth Roster this Year? \u2013 The Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

The start of school and brisk air mean one thing: September\u2019s arrival. While many clamor for the return of football, NHL fans set their sights on a harder-hitting sport. Hockey returns Sept. 19, 2026<\/a>, with preseason action. The preseason helps ease rosters back into hockey\u2019s rigors. But it also creates opportunities for players to make a main NHL roster.<\/p>\n

Rookie Camp, an earlier event, also creates a path for younger players to make a roster. For the Utah Mammoth, this year\u2019s Rookie Camp is important.<\/p>\n

Next Generation of Mammoth Hockey<\/p>\n

On Sept. 11-15,<\/a> prospects like Tij Iginla, Gabe Smith, and Caleb Desnoyers can showcase their growth. All play with a singular goal: make the team. The question is: who makes the roster? To get to the bottom of this mystery, the Lead booked an exclusive interview with Mammoth radio play-by-play voice, Mike Folta<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With Danil But<\/a> and Dmitri Simashev already making the team last year, this article will focus on the three prospects mentioned above.\u00a0Also, since Mammoth draft pick Ethan Belchetz continues to train with his college, Michigan State, he will not participate in this year\u2019s rookie camp.<\/p>\n

The Playoff Warrior<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a guy I think the organization is really high on his potential, especially considering that he was drafted in the fourth round,\u201d said Folta. \u201cA lot of guys you draft in the fourth round, you\u2019re happy if they make it to the NHL at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s journey from hopeful to coveted prospect continues to amaze Utah\u2019s front office and fans alike.\u00a0Drafted<\/a> for the possibility of becoming a physical bottom-line center, Smith\u2019s offensive game took off in the last two seasons (2024-2026).<\/p>\n

Smith developed into what fans call an \u201cit\u201d Factor,<\/a> because in the playoffs the center becomes a very different animal. From 2025 to 2026, Smith scored 25 goals and 30 assists, combining to a total of 55 points! To\u00a0put that into perspective, that\u2019s the same amount<\/a> of accumulated points as Moncton Wildcat teammate Desnoyers, who\u2019s also a top four pick.<\/p>\n

Smith makes up for what he lacks in finesse with physicality, size, and the ability to score greasy goals. However, two things continue to keep him off the main Mammoth roster: his skating and speed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think his skating probably needs to get a little bit better,\u201d stated Folta\u2026 \u201cIf you\u2019re going to be effective with the Mammoth, you\u2019re going to have to skate. We\u2019ve seen that with the players that Bill Armstrong<\/a> has developed, the players that he\u2019s acquired, the players he\u2019s drafted. Skating is a must.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The Golden Draft Pick<\/p>\n

Mammoth Nation\u2019s reaction<\/a> said it all when Utah leapfrogged<\/a> 10 spots to grab the fourth-overall pick. Just a year after drafting Iginla, the Mammoth added more ammo to their prospect arsenal with Desnoyers.<\/p>\n

The center rose through the draft ranks after having an immaculate season<\/a> with the Moncton. In the 2025 QMJHL playoffs, Desnoyers scored 30 points on nine goals and 21 assists, helping the Wildcats win the QMJHL championship.<\/p>\n

Desnoyers possesses<\/a> elite playmaking ability. Whenever the center goes down the ice, there\u2019s a solid chance either he or another teammate scores. Not to mention, he\u2019s physical enough to make his presence known on the defensive end.<\/p>\n

Will Desnoyers Make the Team?<\/p>\n

\u201cHis ability on both ends of the ice is undeniable,\u201d stated Folta. \u201c+51 two years ago, +36 this last year. Plus-minus is what it is, but like he\u2019s not scoring at the expense of the defensive side of the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Desnoyers has too much skill not to make the NHL at some point in his career, but this season may not be his year. While he\u2019s won a championship in the QMJHL, the center hasn\u2019t faced the level of competition<\/a> the NHL provides (meaning skill and physicality).<\/p>\n

\u201cWith all due respect to the Q (QMJHL). Caleb Desnoyers is playing against plumbers, electricians, accountants, and 16-year-olds as well\u201d, stated Folta.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He continues, \u201cThat\u2019s two things I mention: there\u2019s one, the philosophy that Armstrong has of letting guys bake (in the AHL). Two, the jump that they\u2019re making from junior hockey in the CHL to the National Hockey League\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Like Father like Son<\/p>\n

Out of all the prospects the Mammoth have, Iginla continues to look the most ready for the NHL. In this year\u2019s development camp<\/a>, the winger dominated play. He scored a hat trick during a scrimmage and used his speed and physicality to push around other prospects.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got an incredible head on his shoulders,\u201d said Folta. \u201cAfter talking with him, you kind of have the sense of like, ok, there\u2019s no doubt this guy is going to work very well in the National Hockey League. You\u2019d expect nothing less from Jarome Iginla<\/a>\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iginla dominates not only development camps, but the WHL as well. In three seasons<\/a> at Kelowna, the forward has scored 118 goals and 115 assists, totaling 233 points. He\u2019s dangerous from anywhere on the ice. He can outsmart a goaltender by out-maneuvering them in the crease or snipe a goal from the circle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe unique thing about Tij is that he has microwavable goalscoring,\u201d said Folta. Where you don\u2019t need to stick him in the oven (the game) for the whole 30 minutes, you can just pop him into the microwave and get yourself a goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since he\u2019s such a formidable scorer, Iginla can easily get other teammates involved. Defenses focus on him so much, he just finds another player to bury the shot.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Which Line Does Iginla Fit?<\/p>\n

With such a strong chance to make the team, many wonder where Iginla potentially fits in the Mammoth\u2019s lineup. Folta gave a confident response when asked about Iginla\u2019s fit in Utah.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s got enough parts of his game going for him where he could be effective in a third-line role,\u201d stated Folta. \u201cIf Iginla\u2019s career pans out the way we hope it does, that\u2019s not where he stays, obviously.<\/p>\n

Folta continues his statement by saying, \u201cIf I could place Tij Iginla somewhere, it would be in the top six, but who do you move down? Maybe you do move somebody down. Maybe Tij Iginla\u2019s that good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coach Andre Tourigny\u2019s philosophy<\/a> about rookies coming to the majors is simple: If you\u2019re good enough to help the team, you can be a part of it. If the forward has any chance of moving up the lines, he\u2019ll need to bring those elite skills to the NHL.<\/p>\n

AHL Days Ahead?<\/p>\n

This year continues to feel like a turning point for the Mammoth\u2019s prospects to finally break through to the main roster. However, there\u2019s a solid chance all of these prospects end up in the AHL. Many fans in Mammoth Nation would find this decision disappointing, especially given the potential all these prospects hold. But Folta had an interesting rebuttal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings are going really well if Iginla and Desnoyers are running the top power play against the San Jose Barracuda in Tucson,\u201d stated Folta. \u201cIt\u2019s healthy if these guys don\u2019t have to come up, because the Mammoth roster is already so competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Either way, if Iginla ends up scoring 20 goals with the Mammoth this season or dominating the AHL, it\u2019s a win-win for Mammoth Nation. Not to mention, Utah added two 20-plus g<\/a>oalscorers<\/a> in Vincent Trocheck<\/a> and Anders Lee<\/a>. Also, Simashev already had a year in the AHL<\/a> scoring eight goals and 27 assists and looks to join the Mammoth this year as well.<\/p>\n

Great Season to Ascend<\/p>\n

With regular season play inching ever closer, Mammoth fans should enjoy watching the rookies battle to make an NHL spot. The refiner\u2019s fire can create some of the most impactful players on the ice. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The start of school and brisk air mean one thing: September\u2019s arrival. While many clamor for the return…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":660803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[401,702,10976,5,71792,4,29778,730,51,5290,232,3154,71793,5291,5289],"class_list":["post-660802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-utah-hockey-club","tag-ahl","tag-caleb-desnoyers","tag-gabe-smith","tag-hockey","tag-mike-folta","tag-nhl","tag-nhl-preseason","tag-tij-iginla","tag-utah","tag-utah-hc","tag-utah-hockey-club","tag-utah-mammoth","tag-utah-mammoth-prospects","tag-utahhc","tag-utahhockeyclub"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/117258187118901540","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}